Singular Visions: Self-Taught Artists from the Permanent Collection

Over the past two decades, the Hallie Ford Museum of Art has built a small but choice collection of work by self-taught artists. Organized by curator Jonathan Bucci and drawn exclusively from the HFMA permanent collection, the exhibition includes artists who are well known in the contemporary art world, such as James Castle, Louisiana Bendolph, and James Lavadour; important regional artists Gregory Blackstock and Russell Childers; and Midwest and Southern artists Burlon Craig and Royal Robertson among many others. In addition, new acquisitions by contemporary artists working with Living Studios, a Corvallis and Salem studio program for neurodivergent artists, are featured in the exhibition.

While the artists in Singular Visions each bring unique approaches and backgrounds to their work, there are universal traits they all share. The work operates as a reflection of the artists’ reality – the way they see the world, generated from both personal life experiences and the community in which they live and work. Artmaking is a form of communication as artists choose to express themselves and share their personal vision to connect with others.

As the cultural divisions that have led to the othering and separating of many self-taught artists and their work is dissolving, these important artistic voices and their influence are being brought into the larger conversation about contemporary art. The Hallie Ford Museum of Art is very pleased to present this first exhibition focused specifically on this growing area of the museum’s collection.

Jonathan Bucci
The John Olbrantz Curator of Collections and Exhibitions

Special thanks to Hallie Ford Museum of Art student research assistants Matthew Mahoney, WU class of 2024, and Emilee Cirbo, WU class of 2026